Flanders Travel Planner 2011 - (Page 13)

Ghent Ghent is a time capsule, a medieval package with a contemporary core that wears its cosmopolitan side most effectively in its lively nightlife scene and deliciously quirky behavior. It’s also one of Europe’s best-kept secrets in terms of tourism appeal, a hidden gem with ancient cobblestoned streets and charming, centuries-old homes. But this is no Disneyland-esque paean to tourism kitsch, nor is it a rebuilt relic of the past. Ghent is a city of real-time elegance, a genuine piece of European architectural history. It’s history with a heartbeat. Today, Ghent is the largest university city in Flanders, has a friendly vibe and offers up a quirky spirit. This is the first city in Flanders, in fact, to organize a Veggie Day—it’s on Thursdays— meant to stimulate people to eat vegetarian one day a week to lower the city’s (and planet’s) carbon footprint. One of the coolest Ghent happenings though—aside from its annual week-long Gent Festivities, of course—is the legal graffiti spraying in the city’s graffiti alley. It’s the amalgamation of all these things that have honed the character and the charm of the city and which visitors can enjoy today in all its splendor. 48 Hours in GHEnT Morning—Day 1 Start off the day at the Gravensteen, the Dutch name for the “Castle of the Counts.” It was built in 1180 by count Philip of Alsace and was modeled after the crusaders’ castles the count encountered while he participated in the second crusade. It served as the seat of the Count of Flanders until the 14th century and is one of the best-preserved castles in Europe as well as a favorite of visitors, particularly the view from the tower, offering a panoramic scene of the city. Next to the castle lies the Veerleplein, Veerle Square, where public executions took place and still another favorite of visitors is the castle dungeon and torture chamber, complete with all the tools of the trade from the medieval period. There’s also a movie guide, actually a unique, interactive computer-controlled guide, that helps make the castle history come alive. In the shadow of the Castle of the Counts is the Patershol neighborhood, an authentic medieval district that today is home to a variety of restaurants and bars where you can find just about any kind of dish you could want from African to Thai, and to traditional Flemish cooking like waterzooi (a Ghent specialty), a fish or chicken stew. Stop for coffee at Simon Says and bring along some traditional sweets like the cuberdons—a delicious candy with a syrupy center, usually raspberry flavored—from Timmerman’s candy store up the street. and specializing in delicious Ganda ham. Across the street, you’ll find a little shop called Tierenteyn-Verlent, which sells the most unique and tasty mustard you’ll find anywhere. In fact, you won’t find it anywhere else because this is the only place it’s sold. It’s made the same way it was in 1790 from a mix of ground mustard seeds, vinegar and salt. The seeds are ground two or three times a week for each fresh batch of mustard, so when you purchase it, the mustard is never more than three days old. For lunch, try a typical Ghent sandwich with tartare called “a Martino.” After lunch, take a tour of Ghent’s beautiful Town Hall, situated on the site where until 1482 the town representatives and guild’s men met in separate houses. Because these houses were judged too small and too unrepresentative for such important people, it was decided a new and bigger town hall Tips from Locals had to be built that was h the finished in 1484 and then ✔ Have a cup of coffee wit from 1518 until 1535 a new kabon locals at Mo d’eau, the and much bigger town hall ✔ Sit down for lunch at Bor sserie in the was constructed in laterecently renovated bra offers renovated Fishmine that Gothic style. In 1701 the views great canal conciergerie was erected, the items ✔ Go shopping for vintage style of which is similar to and antiques the Ghent baroque houses el and buy ✔ Discover your inner reb and in 1750 a construction and place your own a spray can in Louis XV-style was added graffiti alley graffiti (legally) in Ghent’s as the seat of the “chamber ☞ www.visitflanders.us / F13 Afternoon—Day 1 For lunch, you’ll want to head over to the old city square and stop for lunch at the ancient meat hall, a gothic building that was built between 1407 and 1419 and used in the 15th and 16th centuries as the central hall where the butchers of Ghent could sell their meat. It is now a cafe/restaurant with slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling http://www.visitflanders.us

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flanders Travel Planner 2011

Antwerp
Brussels
Bruges
Ghent
Practical Information

Flanders Travel Planner 2011